AN: Well, here it finally is...this chapter has been so hard to write! Very explicit here, so if you dont like it...if you do like it, leave reviews!

Beth

Tonight was the night. One way or the other, Beth was going to resolve her relationship with Daryl.

She planned to lay her heart out for him to see. And if he didn't want her, then she would try to mend the broken pieces.

But she couldn't stand this being in limbo anymore.

He accepted her attention now, didn't push her away when she came to his bed at night. But when she tried to get closer to him physically he always froze.

She knew from the way his body responded to her that he wanted her, at least in that way. But her feminine insecurities kept her wondering if he pulled away because there was something wrong with her, or for other reasons.

But no more. Tonight she would make him decide.

She had seen him talking with her Daddy earlier and her curiosity was burning to know what they had said but she knew there was no way to ask without sounding like she was spying on him. Besides, it might not even have been about her. Daryl was a big part of the leadership of this group; maybe it had been about something else.

She pushed that thought away, this wasn't about her father. This was her decision, hers and Daryl's.

She prayed she wasn't wrong, it was going to be really hard living with the embarrassment if she was.

After pushing her food around her plate at dinner Beth had helped clean up and finally slipped away to the showers. Her thoughts ran straight to Daryl, as they always did, and she tried to push away the nervousness at what she was planning to do.

She knew he had been with women before and she hoped that her inexperience wouldn't be a turn off for him.

She dressed in a plain T-shirt and her soft sweat pants, leaving her bra and panties on the bed in her room. The nights were getting colder now that winter was here and before she had crossed the yard to get to where he was sleeping she was wishing she had brought a jacket.

He was lying in his bed when she slipped in quietly and he lifted the covers so she could slide in next to him.

"Was about to think you weren't coming tonight," he said softly, pulling her into him. "You are freezing"

"Sorry, I didn't realize it was so cold out….I wasn't sure if I should come tonight, after last night…." She let her words trail off and heard his small gasp at her words.

"Daryl, if you don't want me here, just tell me and I will go away"

"It aint that, Angel…" she waited while he searched for his words…."I aint gonna fight you no more…I just need to know that this is what you really want."

Her heart leaped into her throat at his words, making it hard for her to speak, but she had to say this.

"I know what I want, Daryl, but do you want me?"

"You have to ask?" He spoke with a small laugh. "The reason I moved away from you last night wasn't cause I didn't want you, but cause I am afraid I will hurt you. I never been anyone's first before, and thinking about hurting you makes me crazy"

"I know the first time will be painful, but I want it. I need it. And I need it to be you" she spoke softly, watching his expression. "I have fallen in love with you, Daryl. I don't expect the same from you, and that is ok. But I need you to know that this isn't just a young girls crush. I love you. And I want to be with you."

He frowned, a confused look on his face.

"Is that what this is?" He said softly, more to himself than to her. "I never felt this way before, never needed anyone and sure never had anyone who needed me….but I cant sleep at night when you aren't here and I think about you all the damn time….I got you under my skin"

Beth startled at his words, remembering her dream. That seemed like forever ago.

She turned under the blanket, placing her hands on his chest and leaning up to kiss him softly.

"Stop talking and make love to me Daryl. Please" the last word came out as a small whisper against his lips and he groaned. Beth took that as a sign of victory and deepened their kiss, winding her fingers into his hair and pulling him closer. Daryl pulled away from her, catching her wrists in his hands.

"Slow down, baby, this is going to take a little while "

He sat up, raising her up with him, turning her so that she straddled his lap, and began to kiss her softly, trailing down her neck to her collar bone.

"I don't deserve this gift, Angel….I will try to be as easy I can, but we can stop any time you want."

"Please don't stop, Daryl…making love with you is all I have been able to think about….and you don't have to be so gentle, you know"

His eyebrows went up at that statement and he looked at her, clearly amused.

"No? Why would you say that?"

Beth blushed, remembering the way she had felt in the tower the day he had kissed her for the first time.

"Well, in the tower that first day, when you were kind of rough with me….I liked it…and I know you like it when I scratch you…"

"There will be time for that, baby, but this first time isn't it….I've learned that there is some pleasure in every pain, and I mean to make this as good for you as I can, but some of it will hurt"

He had been sliding his fingers up her shirt as he spoke and when his fingers brushed the underside of her breasts he realized that she was not wearing a bra and drew in his breath. Beth saw his eyes darken slightly and she drew in a deep breath and pushed her breasts into his hands, urging him to touch her.

Daryl reached down and took ahold of the hem of her shirt, pulling it up over her head and dropping it beside the bed. She crossed her arms in front of her, embarrassed by the exposure.

"No, beautiful. Don't cover yourself. You don't ever be embarrassed with me" Daryl's words were soft as he pulled her arms away to her sides, staring openly at her breasts. They were full and firm, smooth with her youth but definitely the body of a woman.

"You are beautiful, don't be ashamed of that"

He put his arms around her then, pulling her to him as he lowered his head and began to kiss the tops of her breasts. Beth felt the rough material of his shirt against her and wanted it gone, wanted to feel his skin on hers. She leaned back and began to unbutton his shirt and he went very still. She wondered for a second if he was holding his breath.

"Are you ok?" she asked softly.

"I don't take my shirt off when I….umm..Other women…my back, I have…" he stammered softly, not making full sentences. She turned his words back on him

"Don't ever be embarrassed with me" she whispered softly, finishing the last button and pulling his shirt off of his arms and discarding it.

She reached around him, pressing her breasts into his chest, and traced her fingers down his back, feeling the spots where the skin was tougher, the lines of scar tissue.

"Do you know what these scars tell me?" she whispered in his ear.

"That I am the one who is damaged" he responded bitterly.

"No, that you are strong. That you have survived things other people would never have lived through. They are part of you, and I love you. But if you don't want me to touch your back, I will try not to"

"Aint I supposed to be the one talking you through this?" Daryl said, smiling as he laid her back on the bed, shifting his body so that he was balanced on one elbow to keep his weight off of her.

"I would rather you stopped talking and use that mouth to kiss me" she whispered.

"Oh, I can do more than that with this mouth" he responded, trailing kisses between her breasts and over her stomach. He traced a small circle around her belly button with his tongue and placed several kisses on the soft roundness of her stomach where the top of her sweat pants lay. Sliding one finger just inside the band of her sweatpants and running it lightly across her stomach teasingly, he felt her body tense.

He removed his hand, sliding it back up her rib cage as he slid his body along hers on his way up to kiss her.

"Just how much experience do you have with this, Angel? Did you and your boyfriend ever do anything?" He asked the question softly as he nibbled at her neck below her ear.

"Nothing more than kissing" she replied "And he put his hand on my breast once, while we were swimming at the pond. He was…it kind of hurt…" she saw Daryl flinch, remembering the day in the tower

"And you? What did you do? Did you touch him?"

"That same day….but he had his swim shorts on…."

Daryl made a small groan and rolled away from her to lie on his back. Beth rolled with him, laying her hand on his chest, afraid that he was going to change his mind about being with her.

"I know that I don't know how to do this, but I

"Stop that" Daryl replied quickly.

"What?" the confusion was clear in her voice.

"I aint changing my mind" he spoke quietly, "just have to get control and keep reminding myself that you are new at this….don't want me acting like the inexperienced virgin, do ya?" He said the words with a smile but he saw a shadow flicker across her face and something sad in her eyes.

"We don't have to do this if you aren't ready, Beth….I will never force you"

"Its not that" she replied, looking down at her hands, unable to meet his eyes. "Its just….well, I know that you…have been with other women who were experienced and beautiful and I….I don't want to disappoint you" she finished the sentence in a rush, cheeks flaming, too embarrassed to look at him.

Daryl reached out and raised her chin with his fingers, looking her in the eyes.

"I never had any woman as beautiful as you and you could never disappoint me…..hell, I am worried that I wont be what you….I have been with other women, but I never felt…like this…about any of them. I've never been in love before…."

He let the sentence trail off as he stared into her eyes as he reached down and began to unbutton his jeans. Beth's eyes widened watching him and she very tentatively reached her hand down and placed it on him, feeling the hardness of him through the denim, pressing the outline of him into her hand. Daryl dropped both hands to the bed beside him, gripping the blanket he lay on.

Beth stopped touching him, afraid she had hurt him.

"Go ahead baby, look and touch as much as you want" his voice was unsteady, a little rough.

She put her hand back on him, reaching to undo his jeans. She noticed there was no zipper on his jeans, but several buttons….

Oh, my…that's hot…

one at a time she undid them, letting her fingers linger for just a moment as each button came open. Daryl had closed his eyes and let his head fall back slightly on the bed, his body very still and tense.

Once all the buttons were open she slipped her hand inside his jeans, feeling the bare skin of his erection. He hadn't worn any underwear, either.

Daryl jerked when she touched him, a gasp escaping his lips and his breathing getting heavier.

This was amazing, this new power she was feeling.

She tried to move her hand over him, to feel more of him, but his jeans were still in the way. She gripped the top of them and Daryl raised his hips slightly for her, knowing what she wanted. Once she had his pants pulled down onto his thighs he kicked them off quickly, without ever raising up from his back.

Beth was frozen, staring at his body completely naked before her. He was lean, all tight muscles and strength. And that part of him…..oh, wow….a little shiver of fear ran through her….she looked up at him as he lay so still and found him watching her…..

"You don't have to be afraid, remember what I said? We can stop any time you want" his words were soft and calming.

"No, I don't want to stop….its just….can….will…will you fit? Inside me?" She wrapped her hand lightly around him as she spoke, dropping her gaze to stare at his chest and abdomen.

Daryl's body jerked again as if she had shocked him and he reached up and slid his hands into her hair, pulling her down onto him so he could kiss her.

"Yes, beautiful" he answered her, breathing raggedly into her ear "we will fit together"

His hands on her back and sides were a little rougher now, he held her tighter as he stretched her out on top of him, the whole length of their bodies pressing together. She lay that way for several moments, feeling his bare chest on her breasts and his kisses making her breathless when she felt his hands slide down her back and inside her sweat pants as he gripped both of her buttocks and pressed her down against him. She gasped as a new strange feeling shot up through her stomach and made her legs tremble a little.

Daryl rolled them both over, trailing kisses along her jaw and down, over her collar bone and down the side of her breast and ribcage until he reached her hip bone and the top of her pants. She didn't flinch this time when he slid his hands inside her waistband and pulled the pants down her legs, dropping them beside the bed.

He lay on top of her, one hand in her hair and the other caressing her hip and thigh as he lowered his head and gently took her nipple into his mouth and began to suck on it….it was Beth's turn to buck underneath him but then she froze, thinking this was the moment.

"Shhh…relax…not yet…" he soothed her, kissing her again until she relaxed.

Releasing her breast he slid down on the bed, kissing her stomach and then the inside of her thighs as he parted her legs. She moaned as he touched the center of her with his tongue and began to squirm and writhe beneath him as he licked and sucked gently on her.

These were new feelings she had never even imagined and she couldn't think past what he was doing to her body, clenching her thighs around him when he gently slipped one finger inside her.

"Shhh…let go of me, baby….." Daryl coaxed her into relaxing again but she couldn't lie still when he began to stroke her with first one finger and then two, in and out as he continued to taste her.

When he stopped licking that sensitive spot and began to suck on it she exploded, crying out his name as she came, her body arching beneath him and her fingernails digging into his skin, not realizing she drew blood from his shoulders.

Daryl moved above her, kissing up her neck to her earlobe.

"Hold onto me, baby" he whispered as she felt the hardness of him pressing into her.

Still quivering from her orgasm, Beth felt him begin to slide inside her.

This isn't too bad, maybe it wont hurt as much as….

Daryl shifted above her, thrusting his hips forward to push completely inside her and gasped as he felt the barrier of her virginity tear.

Oh my god! It was agony!

She had known it would hurt but this….this was too much…this was more than she could stand.

The pain was so sharp she tried for a couple of seconds to push him off of her but Daryl held her tightly, whispering softly in her ear, trying to soothe her. He began to kiss her face, her cheeks, her eyes, and Beth realized she had tears streaming down her face.

"I'm so sorry, beautiful, I never want to make you cry, never"

Daryl pulled back, drawing almost completely out of her before pressing forward again and a small cry escaped her.

She pressed her face into his neck and shoulder, clinging to him tightly, trying not to let him see her tears. But he felt her body shaking as she began to sob, the pain more than she had imagined.

Daryl stopped moving and raised up on his forearms, looking into her eyes.

"This is too much for you, too soon…..maybe we should wait"

"NO!" her eyes were wide, bright with her tears "I want to make love with you….and it wont hurt after the first time, right?"

"Not as much, no…."

"Please don't stop, Daryl….I need you"

He kissed her and then tucked his face into her neck as he began a slow, gentle rhythm for them, his own body tense and tight with the knowledge that he was hurting her.

Gradually her quiet sobs ceased and her breathing eased a little as she relaxed, the pain lessening just enough that she was able to think about what he was doing, about the feel of him inside her. That part of him was so big and she was so small…..it was so tight, so much pressure…..she began to feel every stroke and she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing his collarbone and even lifting her hips to meet him as he thrust into her.

After another minute Daryl ran his left hand down her right leg, straightening it out on the bed as he tucked her left leg up around his hip and rolled them over so that she was now on top of him, never breaking the connection of their bodies.

"You're in charge now, Angel" he whispered, placing both his hands on her hips and guiding her up and down, teaching her the rhythm between them.

This new position made him a little deeper and it took her a minute to get her balance and motion down, being careful to not go too fast. The pain wasn't completely gone but she was definitely beginning to enjoy this, having him inside her and now beneath her.

She put her hands on his chest and dug her fingers into the muscle there, pushing herself up and then sliding slowly back down him. She felt his whole body beginning to tense and tighten, small moans coming from him as she rode him.

Daryl reached one hand between them and placed his thumb on her sensitive nub and began to make small circles.

Even as she continued to move the way he had taught her, she felt that coiling low in her stomach and before she could catch her breath she exploded again, falling forward onto his chest, her hair in his face, convulsing around him.

He gripped her ass with both hands and made a few final powerful thrusts into her, his whole body quivering, both of them moaning as he came.

They lay together quietly for a couple of minutes, his hands roaming lightly over her body until she stopped shaking and could breathe again.

Daryl shifted to the side, laying her down beside him and pulling out of her gently.

Reaching for a bottle of water and a cloth lying on the chest at the foot of his bed he began to gently wipe the blood from her thighs.

She flinched slightly at his touch and he paused, looking into her face, suddenly unsure of what they had just done.

Beth reached up and touched his face lightly, tracing his bottom lip with her fingertips.

"I love you" she whispered "I love you, and that was perfect"

Daryl dropped the cloth he had used to clean them both and laid down beside her, pulling her into him.

"I love you, too, Angel".